Unbroken
by kutory
Summary: OMG! What is this? Seto/??? Hehehe, and yes, it IS someone from the show! Who could Seto have fallen for? Hehehe, read! WARNING: fluff, not that much but there is some. *chapter 7 up!*
1. Prologue

This is kutory-chan with another fanfic! Yep, I am not dead! Surprised? *heh* didn't think so. Oh yeah, I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! ^-^ Ok, glad we got that straigh, now for the fic! ^-^  
  
===================  
  
The first time I saw her, I knew she was different from other girls. She didn't cry, she was tough, she was a good duelist and she was... beautiful. She had a style I envied, she could handle defeat, even if it was a defeat to an amateur, Joey Wheeler. There was just something about her that I admired... and loved.  
  
~*~  
  
Both had a huge sense of pride and both hated to admit their feelings. But love is always stronger than any sense of pride and you can never hide it for long. They were in a deserted park, sitting side to side on a bench.  
  
~*~  
  
He acted so cool and uncaring, but I knew. He never liked to show his feelings, but I could tell exactly what he felt. Despite all he said about hating Yugi and us, I knew he would never hurt any of us on purpose. And despite all his efforts not to, I knew that he had stopped seeing us as adversaries and that he had started seeing us as friends. He always seemed so cool, detached... yet so caring and loyal at the same time. Maybe that's why I had taken such a liking to him.  
  
~*~  
  
Their hands met. For an instant, so did their eyes. They quickly looked away from each other. They were still so akward with each other.  
  
~*~  
  
I didn't realise what I felt until I got captured in my own video game. Back then, Mokuba had gone to Yugi for help. And they came to save save me. She was there too, althoough it wasn't her original plan, she did come to help me. Even after I saw her, I didn't realise I really felt until she got digitized. After she disappeared, I felt such a pain in my heart. It quickly grew to anger and then to a lust of revenge. I wanted revenge, and I would get it... without Yugi's help. But no one can do everything alone as I have learned...  
  
~*~  
  
Shebreathed out deeply. He turned to look at her, only to find her staring straight at him. The moment was perfect, the silence around them, envelopped them, as if in a dream... A dream they hoped they would never wake up from.  
  
~*~   
  
After Pegasus had trapped his soul into a card, I couldn't help but feel angry. I wanted to save him. But for that to happen, I needed to beat Yugi. And so, I stayed the whole night to find a strategy that would overcome Yugi's deck and what he already knew of mine. And that was when I had realised how much I had come to love him.  
  
~*~  
  
Their lips met. It was a soft first kiss. After they parted, she leaned against his chest, mumuring so only he can hear, "I love you... Seto..." He held her close and answered softly, "So do I..."  
  
============  
  
Hehehe! Have you guys figured out who the couple is? Please review and tell me! ^-^ LOL, this is so fun! I am in a mood to write fanfics!  
  
This is Kutory signing off! 


	2. Cafe Twist

Unbroken, part 2

  
Uh, this fic was going to be a one-timer, but I got so much reviews I decided to continue it a bit. ^^ Please don't flame on the couple. I know most of the readers prefer Tea/Anzu with Seto but I thought I'd try something different. ^^;; Oh yeah, I tend to use both the English names and the japanese name in the fic. So er, yeah, it might be confusing... Um, I don't own Yu Gi Oh.   
  
~*~   
  
Mai stepped out of her house. She was on her way to the Duelist Cafe. The Duelist Cafe was a place that just opened up. It sold cards and drinks. Most duelists gather there to exchange tips. Or duel. Mai had never been there before but she thought she might as well drop by and check out the place. She headed for the Cafe. It wasn't very far from her house and she could use the exercise.   
  
Her thoughts wandered. First to Seto. Then to Joey. The blonde boy had a thing for her. She was sure of it. Sure, she liked him, but it was only as a friend. How would he react to this? How did she react to this? She loved Seto, yes. But she still didn't want to go public yet. She could already imagine Anzu's reaction. And she didn't really want to break her tough girl image. Not yet.   
  
~*~   
  
Yugi laid a card on the table, "Joey, it's your move." Jou didn't budge. Yugi waved his hand in front of the blonde's face. "Joey? Are you in there? Hello?" The taller boy suddenly snapped back to reality. Yugi looked at him worriedly, "Jou, are you ok? You've been spacing off a lot lately." Joey shook his head, "It's nothing man."   
  
Yugi eyed him suspisciously but he let the subject go. Even if he wanted to continue it, he would've had to wait because just then, Mai entered the Cafe. Yugi looked up and spotted her, "Mai! Over here!" Joey snapped his head up, "What?! Mai?! Where?" Yugi shook his head, "Over there."   
  
~*~   
  
Mai spotted Yugi and waved back. Then Joey popped up. Her heart sank. She didn't really want to talk to him. But she made her way to their table anyway, now that she'd acknowledged Yugi, there was no way she could've pretended not to see them. She sat down next to Yugi and said, "So, what's up guys? Where are Anzu and Honda?" Yugi answered, taking a sip from his drink, "They went to the library, said something about a project. What are you doing here, Mai?"   
  
Mai leaned back in her seat, "A project, huh. That's too bad." She paused before continuing, "I heard a lot about this place. It seems that they have a lot of the new cards. I've been meaning to check this place out. But I've been... busy." She tried to ignore the boys' looks. "Busy? With what?" Joey asked her.   
  
~*~   
  
Joey noticed imediately that Mai was trying to hide something. Triten and Tea were always saying that he was stupid, but when it came to things like friends, he was observant. Even though Mai was a pretty good liar, it was pretty obvious that she was hiding something.   
  
~*~   
  
Yugi noticed that the tension had risen. He decided to let them sort out things themselves. He got up and told them, "I'll be back." He left the table.   
  
'Yugi? Are you alright?' Yami made his voice heard in Yugi's head. 'Yes, I'm fine. I just left them alone to sort things out for themselves.' Yugi explained to his darker half. 'I see.' Yami returned to his soul room, not needing anymore information.   
  
~*~   
  
"Mai, I need to tell you something." Joey stared at her. He wanted to tell her. He didn't want to wait anymore. But he wasn't sure if this was the best time. Or place for that matter. He stared into her violet eyes, making her look away, "What is it? I'm not helping you with your dueling strategies."   
  
Mai wanted to bite her lip but she didn't want to seem nervous. This was it. The moment she dreaded. She didn't know how to turn down Jou without hurting his feelings. She forced herself to stared back into his gaze. Her heart flipped for a minute. His eyes. They shone with an intense light. Something she had never noticed before. He shifted nervously in his seat, "I-I..." He took a deep breath while Mai felt her heart lurch. What was she feeling? How come she felt so guilty suddenly?   
  
~*~   
  
It was now or never. Joey gathered all his courage up and looked at Mai.   
  
"I love you, Mai"   
  
~*~   
  
Heehee, a love triangle! Whee! Hee hee hee! lol, almost all my fics are romance. Darn. I always hate those stupid soaps that played on TV. And now I'm writing them! Oh well. That's life for ya! Please review! O_O cliffhanger! I'll probably get the next chapter out in a few hours. Check back soon! ^^ 


	3. Mixed Emotions

Unbroken, part 2

  
Mai froze. Why? Why was she so surprised? She knew that this moment would come. But as she stared into Jounouchi's eyes, she felt her resolve waver. What should she say. Suddenly this whole thing seemed so much more confusing. She loved Seto. And that was it. She stared at the table, noticing a scratch in the paint. She didn't want to look at him.   
  
~*~   
  
Joey stared at Mai, waiting. He desperately wanted to hear something. Anything. The suspense was killing him. He wanted to shake her. Make her say something. But the other part of him told him to wait and give her some time. He fidgeted in his seat, his mind feeling like it was ready to explode.   
  
~*~   
  
Anzu stifled a yawn and looked over at Tristen, "Tristen, are you done yet? He really should hook up with Yugi and Joey now. We're already ten minutes late." The boy didn't answer, he just continued scribling away at his piece of paper. A pressure point appeared on Anzu's forehead, "HONDA! Are you even listening to me?!" His head snapped up at the sound of her voice and he simply put a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet.   
  
~*~   
  
'What are they saying?' Yami's voice suddenly echoed through Yugi's thoughts, startling the little boy.   
'I don't know. But it seems as though they're in trouble.' Yugi replied   
A pause, then Yami asked, 'Should we go in and help them? Mai seems a little uneasy.'   
Yugi hesitated, 'I don't want to butt in'   
'Alright. They're your friends, Yugi.' Yami's presence started to fade back   
Yugi called out to him before he was gone, 'MY friends? You mean, you don't consider them your friends?'   
Yami's voice rang out, '...Alright. They are. But I'm sure your decision is the right one.'   
Yugi remained silent.   
  
~*~   
  
Joey couldn't stand it anymore. He let the question slip through his lips, "Mai...?" The violet-eyed girl didn't look up. She got up and silently left, saying as she went, "I have to go. I'll talk to you later." She gave him a small wave and left the Cafe, not looking back. Jou fell back in his chair. The emotional torment he went through that moment would stay engraved in his memory forever.   
  
~*~   
  
'Aibou, she left.'   
Yugi sighed, it seemed that his yami just wouldn't leave him alone. He kept reporting everything he was seeing.   
'I know Yami, I see it too.'   
His yami was silent for a moment, before saying, 'Should we go see what's wrong now?'   
Yugi nodded, 'I'm on it.'   
  
~*~   
  
Joey didn't even look up when his friend sat down. Yugi scooted over, right next to his friend, "Joey, what's wrong?" His yami suddenly spoke into his mind, 'Aibou, it mustve been Mai.' Yugi turned up and eyebrow, 'What?' His yami paused, 'Maybe he loves her, doesn't he?' Yugi clicked, 'Oh, I see.' Yugi felt his yami's spirit enter fade back to his soul room, but he knew that Yami wouldn't stay there for long. Yugi turned back to his friend, "Joey?"   
  
~*~   
  
Tea yawned. For the hundreth time. It was boring. She got up from the table. How could Tristen ever stay seated for so long? It was usually her that put so much work into a project. Not him. She wondered around the library. She noticed a few of her favorite novels. 'Hm... These books bring back such nice memories...' She glanced down and noticed a dropped library card. She bent down to pick it up, just as the person who dropped it did at the same time. Anzu stopped and looked up.   
  
It was Seto.   
  
~*~   
  
Wow! Another chapter! Wheee!! *er-hem* well, that's it for today folks! See ya tomorrow! ^^ Now, I have some major plot making to do. Hehehe. Anyhow, that's it for today. Hehehe, I'm gonna have fun with this fic. ^^ As always, please review! 


	4. Shattered Dreams

Unbroken, part 4

  
For a few minutes, Anzu jew stared at Seto. Then she quickly withdrew her hand and let Seto pick up his card for himself. He did so and turned around to leave. Tea took a step foward, why was she so nervous suddenly? And called out to him, "W-wait!" She winced, why did she have to sutter so much? It wasn't usual for her to trip on her words. The rich boy glanced back at her, expecting her to say something. Tea opened her mouth but no sound came out. Seto turned back and left, not saying a word.   
  
Tea closed her mouth. Why exactly did she tell him to wait? Why was she feeling so nervous? Her heart pounded in her ears. She didn't understand any of this. She sighed and turned back to the table where Honda was. He had packed his stuff and was now waiting for her. She walked over to him and the boy asked her, "Was that Kaiba?" Anzu nodded. Tristen continued, "What was he doing here? And what was that all about?" She stayed silent. Tristen glanced at her and decided not to pry.   
  
~*~   
  
Yugi nudged Joey again, "Joey?" Joey stayed silent. His yami's voice rang through his thoughts again, 'Yugi, I think it's best to leave him alone right now.' Yugi nodded and told his friend, "Joey, I'll always be there for you. So if there's anything you would like to talk about, just tell us, alright?" Jou didn't move, but Yugi thought he saw something flash accross the blonde's blank eyes. An emotion he couldn't reconize.   
  
~*~   
  
Joey sat there. He didn't care anymore. His life was shattered. He hardly cared. Yugi sat down. Joey didn't budge. Yugi could do whatever he wanted for all he cared. Yugi nudged him. He was worried. Jounouchi wished he would stop trying to figure out what had happened. He didn't want to talk about it. Not to Yugi, not to anyone.   
  
"...I'll always be there for you. So if there's anything you would like to talk about, just tell us, alright?"   
  
Joey froze. What was that? Yugi. He was his friend. A friend. Wasn't Mai his friend? Why did she just leave him like that? Did she love him? Or not? Why did she have to leave him hanging like that? A no would've been nicer. Clean. Simple. But no. She had to keep the suspense up. It was hard. Joey swallow and tried his best to put on a smile, "I'm fine, Yugi. You don't have to worry about me."   
  
Yugi saw right through Jou's smile. It was heart-breaking to see him like this. Fortunately, Tristen and Tea chose that moment to come in. "Hey! It looks like Tea and Tristen made it!" Joey looked up and also saw them walk through the front door of the Duelist Cafe. He tried his best to wave to them enthusiasticly. They both right through him too. Honda and Anzu sat down, shooting Yugi inquiring looks. Yugi shook his head.   
  
~*~   
  
Seto walked through the front door of his mansion. He felt strange. He didn't understand it. Why did he feel so... He couldn't pinpoint what he was feeling. It had been such a long time since he'd had that feeling. Memories flashed at him.   
  
//FLASHBACK//   
"Seto! You promised me! You promised me we'd go to see that movie!" His little brother, Mokuba, he crying and pulling at his sleeve. The day before, Seto had promised Mokuba he'd have time to bring himn to see a movie. but he had forgotten he had a meeting with the executives. He felt like he had betrayed Mokuba. He felt guilty.   
//END OF FLASHBACK//   
  
Seto looked up and climbed the stairs to his room. So that was it. He felt guilty. But for what?   
  
~*~   
  
"Oh right! I forgot to tell you guys! I met Kaiba at the library today." Tea was trying her best to make conversation at the gloomy table. They hadn't said a word since her and Tristen sat down at the table. Yugi raised an eyebrow, "Seto Kaiba? What was he doing there at the library?" Anzu thought then answered, "I don't know." The silence came down on the table again, each in their own thoughts. Finally, Joey got up, "Well, it's getting late. I should be going now. See you, guys."   
  
Ygui watched him leave. Then Tristen left. There was only Tea and Yugi left at the table now. Yugi twisted his napkin nervously. Tea didn't seem to notice though, she was lost in her thoughts. The short boy cleared his throat, "Anzu...?" She looked up, her thoughts disturbed, "Yes, Yugi?" Yugi felt his cheeks grow slightly hot, "Um, never mind... I should be going too. Are you going to be okay on your own?" The girl nodded. Yugi waved and left the Cafe. a few minutes later, anzu left too. She was unaware of the fact that there was a small form following her home. Yugi then turned away from Tea's house and headed towards his own house.   
  
~*~   
  
Ehehe, you wanted some twists, you got'em! ^^ I'm pretty proud of the way I totally messed things up. X.x Oh uh, now I have to clear everything up. ^^ Oh well, it will be fun! Don't forget to leave me a review people! It will be greatly appreciated! 


	5. Breaking Hearts

Unbroken, part 5

  
Woo-hoo! Many thanks to Lady MR for reminding me about my plot! I had almost forgotten that I actually had a plot to go by. Er, so I re-thought all that I had done and I did some planning. The last two chapters were mostly spur of the moment. Er-hem... And I'm planning to keep this a male/female fic. ((I'm not against yaoi or yuri though.))   
  
~*~   
  
Anzu lay in her bed, unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, an image of Seto floated to the surface of her mind. There was something... inside, she just couldn't explain it. She wanted to see him again. Tea turned in her bed. Why was it that Kaiba bothered her that much? She wanted to kick something to relieve herself of her frustrations. She couldn't understand her feelings anymore. Then, she realised. The nervousiness around Seto, the warm feeling she got and this longing of wanting to see him again. "Could it be that... I love him?"   
  
Anzu stretched and yawned. It was a bright and sunny day. Maybe she should go to the park or something. She threw on some clothes and went to brush her teeth. Just then the phone rang, Anzu picked it up, it was probably Yugi. He was the only that could wake up so early. "Hello? Tea?" Sure enough, it was Yugi's voice on the other side of the receiver. Tea smiled, "Hey Yugi. What's up?" There was a pause before he answered, "Nothing much, I was just wondering if you would like to go to the park with me." Tea said yes and they agreed to meet in the park in twenty minutes.   
  
Anzu looked at the clock, she still had seventeen minute to get ready but she shrugged, it was a nice day, she'd rather wait at the park then wait in her house. So she left the house and headed for the park.   
  
~*~   
  
"Seto! Can we go to the park?"   
  
The brown-haired boy opened an eye, then the other, "Mokuba, what time is it?" His little brother checked the time before answering, "It's 9 o'clock already! Can we please go to the park? It's so nice outside!" Seto got up and groaned, "Alright." Mokuba cheered and hopped around while Seto got ready. They were out thee door in less than ten minutes.   
  
~*~   
  
Tea sighed happily, the sun's ray were warming her face. It felt good to be outside. She heard some voices. She turned to the source and saw Seto and Mokuba. Last night's event played in her mind. She loved Seto. Maybe... should she tell him? She didn't feel ready yet. She needed more time. And besides, she still wasn't really sure *if* it was love.   
  
~*~   
  
Seto spotted Anzu at the same time as Mokuba did. Mokuba yanked Seto's sleeve, "It's Tea!" He wanted to talk to his friend. Seto relunctanly agreed, not because he wanted to see Anzu, but because he didn't want his little brother to be upset. Mokuba ran to her and greeted her, "Heeey! Tea!!"   
  
Anzu had already spotted Mokuba before he called out to her, "Hey Mokuba!" And then, "Hey, Kaiba." Seto nodded to her. While Mokuba smiled, "Tea! It's a great day, don't you think?" The girl nodded, smiling, Mokuba's enthusiasm was affecting her, "Yeah, it's a great day." Just then, Mokuba spotted a friend from school, "Oh, that's my friend over there! I'll go say hello!" He glanced at his brother, who nodded, then ran off to meet his friend.   
  
They stood, a bit uneasy. Anzu kept fidgeting with her hair, which was starting to slightly irrate Seto. He glanced at her and asked her, "Is there something you want to say?" Tea stopped playing iwht her hair and looked down. "Seto.. I-I..." She wanted to tell him, but at the same time, she felt afraid. Afraid of what? She took a deep breath and continued on, "I..." Did she really want to say this? "I love you..."   
  
~*~   
  
Seto stared at Anzu for a few seconds. He turned away. He felt guilty. He didn't know why. But he felt guilty. "I'm sorry." Somewhere inside his mind, he laughed at himself. Those words. He had never said sorry to anyone before. Until now. He was conscious that Anzu had now collasped onto her knees. She knew what was comming. It was hard for him to say it. Again, his mind wondered why. He continued, "But I don't feel the same way." Tea looked up to him, "Why...? Is it me? Or do you already love someone else?"   
  
"It's not you..." Seto walked away. He didn't want to see her anymore. He didn't want to see her tear streaked face. Her pleading eyes. Even though he didn't love her. He had considered her a friend. Ever since that day, where he'd beaten Yugi and she had given him that speech. He felt that she really cared. And even if he'd never told her that he considered her a friend, he was sure she knew. And now, look at all the pain that he'd caused her. He went to get his brother and exited the park.   
  
~*~   
  
Tea got up slowly. She felt... she didn't know how she felt. A part of her was crying, trying to pick up the remains of her now shattered love. But another side of her... was indifferent. That part of her knew that if he had rejected her, it wasn't because he hated her. He loved someone else. As long as he was happy, I would be happy too. But still, it hurt. Anzu felt tears come again. She made her way to a bench and sat down, crying.   
  
~*~   
  
Yugi entered the park. The first thing he saw was Tea. She was sitting on a bench. At first he thought she was hurt. She was holding her face in her arms. Then, he realised she was crying.   
'But why? She didn't sound sad when I called her this morning...'   
His yami made himself heard, 'Aibou, what are you waiting for? Go see her.'   
Yugi nodded and did as his yami told him.   
  
~*~   
  
Aww, do you feel that this fic will be over soon? I do. Maybe two or three more chapters. But I don't think I'll be able to finish before school starts. >


	6. There for You

Unbroken, part 6

  
Alright! Another chapter!! ^^ I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Er... yeah, anyway, not much to say... Thanks for the reviews everybody! Now, on with the fic!   
  
~*~   
  
"Tea!"   
  
Tea looked up, her face streaked with tears. Yugi stopped dead in his tracks, "What's wrong Anzu?" The blue-eyed girl covered her face in her hands and continued to weep. Yugi's heart cried out to her. He sat down next to her and she collasped onto his shoulder, crying.   
  
~*~   
  
Mai strolled in the librairy. Joey hadn't stopped trying to contact her. She didn't want to talk to him. At least, not yet. Not when her emotions were still in turmoil. She didn't understand of this more than him. She knew she had left Joey crushed the other day but she couldn't help it. She was too weak to face her feelings. She knew she loved Seto. But that feeling. That feeling she had gotten when Jou had stared in her eyes. It just wouldn't go away. She sighed. The reason why she was in the librairy was because she just couldn't stand staying cooped up in the house any more. And the only place where she knew she wouldn't bump into Jou was the library.   
  
"Mai..."   
  
Mai turned around at the sound of her name. It was Jounouchi. Apparently she had been wrong about Joey never coming to the library. She sighed. It was now or never. She knew that she would have to face this one day or another.   
  
~*~   
  
A night's sleep had helped Jou recover from his smashed feelings. He had time to think and sort through his feelings yesterday night. He looked around in the library, "Yeesh, so many books in here. How can you stand this place." Beside him, Tristan shrugged, "I don't know. I have to get some books for my project. By the way, you haven't even started on yours yet. Maybe you should get some books too." Then, he left.   
  
Joey walked through the aisles of books. 'Man, this place is creepy. Why did I ever tell Honda I wanting to come with him?' Joey scanned the books and glanced around. He spotted a familiar silhouette. Could it be...? Joey took a few steps closer and saw the familiar form of Mai. It was. He took a few more steps towards her and muttered, "Mai..."   
  
~*~   
  
For a few minutes, all they did was stare at each other. Finally, Mai lowered her gaze, "Joey... I-I... I'm sorry..." Joey titled his head, "Sorry? Sorry for what?" Mai shook her head. She had to tell him. "A-about yesterday..." She had to. She had to tell him. About Seto. That she didn't feel the same way. That she didn't love him. She looked up and stared into his deep brown eyes again. "I-I... just... wanted to say... that..." She couldn't. "I-I don't know. I just don't understand my feelings anymore...!" Mai turned away and ran out of the library.   
  
"Wait!! Mai!!" Joey shouted, ignoring the glares he got from the people who were reading. He ran out the library, following Mai. "Mai!! Wait!!" he felt confused. But a part of him was happy. Mai was just confused. She didn't hate him. She didn't say she didn't love him. There was still hope. Time. She needed more time. That was all. But another part of him told him no. Told him he was stupid for believing. Jou pushed back his thoughts and continued to trail Mai. He wanted to know.   
  
~*~   
  
Mai continued running. She heard Joey shouting, behind her. She didn't stop running. She didn't want to confront him. Not now. She wished she didn't have to confront him at all. But she had to do it one day. She just needed more time to figure everything out. She closed her eyes and held back the tears. Why was she crying? Why did she feel like this? She suddenly hit something and fell. She blinked back her tears and looked up. "Seto?!"   
  
Mokuba had run off with another friend. Seto sighed impatiently, how many friends did his little brother have? Just then, before he could go get him back, someone bumped into him. Seto was in a rather foul mood and was about to snap at whoever bumped into him when he noticed who it was. "Mai?!" He was staring at her when suddenly, he heard someone call her name, "Mai!! Wait!!" Seto growled slightly, it was the puppy boy, Joey.   
  
~*~   
  
Anzu finally stopped cried. Her sobs became hiccups and finally she closed her eyes. Then she sat up straight, realising that Yugi was holding her. "Yugi! When did you get here? What?! Where am I?" Yugi glanced at her, her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her hair was all messy and she had a tired expression on her face. Yugi smiled and said, "It's alright, Tea. I called you this morning remember? We said we were going to meet at the park. When I got here you were crying. So I came over and-" Anzu smiled and hugged Yugi tightly, "Thanks for being there, Yugi." Yugi smiled, a blush creeping on his face, "It's no problem, Anzu." He smiled.   
  
~*~   
  
O_o Um, I hadn't really intended this to be a real Tea/Yugi fic. But it still doesn't have to be. It can still be friendship. After all, there was no confession. ^^ And *gasp* it seems as though things are heating up in the Seto/Mai/Joey area. Hehe, stay tuned! And don't forget to review! ^^ Thankies to all that reviewed so far!! 


	7. Broken Smile

Unbroken, part 7

  
^^ Looks like a new chapter is up!! Hehe, is this going to be the final chapter? As usual, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Thank you for all the reviews! Hehe, ok, on with the fic!   
  
~*~   
  
"Seto?!"   
  
"Mai?!"   
  
Mai got up and brushed herself off. Behind her, she heard Joey run up to them. Seto eyed the blond boy codly. Even if he considered Tea a friend, it was not the same with Joey. The boy was arrogant, stupid and big mouthed. He didn't see why anoyone would want to become friends with him. "Joey. What are you doing here?"   
  
Mai looked from Seto to Jou. She squeezed her eyes shut. Now what will I do? A fine mess I've put myself into. She opened her eyes and looked over at Joey. I wish I didn't have to do this to you...   
  
Joey looked from Mai to Seto, "What do you mean, 'what am I doing here?' This is a public street!" For some reason, he didn't like the fact that Seto was around. He seemed... kind of... protective of Mai. He looked unesily to Mai again. What's going on?   
  
~*~   
  
Mai looked up at Joey, "Jou... I have something to tell you..." Joey looked at her, expecting. Mai closed her eyes again. It hurt her. Joey loved her. He was her friend, she didn't want to hurt him. She could just tell him she loved him. But Seto... Mai loved Seto. It was undeniable. Decisions! It made choosing what to wear in the morning seem like an easy choice. She sighed. She knew what she had to do. But doing it was so much harder.   
  
"Jou... I have something to tell you..." Seto's eye widened. What were they all talking about? For a minute, fear tighened around his heart. Fear of losing losing his love, fear of rejection, fear of losing Mai. He forced himself to not think of that and tried his best to keep a cool face. After all, he did have a reputation to keep. And he would have to learn to trust people, just as he had learned to trust in the heart of the cards.   
  
"Jou... I have something to tell you..." Joey felt his heart drop. So it was true. She didn't love him. She didn't have to say it. He could tell by the tone in her voice. He could see it in her eyes. He could see it in the way she acted. 'You already knew this was going to happen, Jou. So just snap out of it.' Joey lifted his head and looked at Mai. She was staring at the ground. He took a deep breath and took the first step, "Mai?" She looked up, her eyes were sad. At least he was sure she was a true friend. He continued, "Is... is it me? What did I do wrong?"   
  
Mai shook her head, "I'm sorry, Jou... I-I just... I already... love someone..." She glanced quickly at Seto. He nodded and she continued, "I love Seto."   
  
Jou looked completely crushed. Even Seto felt sorry for him. A few akward moments passed between the three of them. He didn't deserve it. Seto looked at the poor boy. Even though he was so weak, he didn't deserve to be crushed like this.   
  
Jou forced himself to be happy. For Mai. Not only for Mai, but also for Seto. He had to admit it, he never really liked Seto, but he wasn't that bad of a guy. His heart broke, all he wanted to do was break down and cry. But not here. Not now. For Mai, he'll be strong. He looked up at both of them and tried to put on a smile, "Hey, it's ok. Really." He didn't know wether he was trying to convince himself or Mai and Seto, "I'm fine. I hope you guys will be happy together!"   
  
~*~   
  
Both of them stared at Joey. His smile was so fake. Anyone with a brain could see through it. But he was trying so hard to not make them feel bad. Seto spoke first, "Jou... Don't-" Joey didn't let him finish, "Don't worry, Kaiba. No hard feelings. Just... Just take care of her alright?" The blond boy turned away, not wanting to see anymore.   
  
Mai only nodded. Joey, he was so brave. Mai smiled, a fake smiled as well, "Joey... Thank you..." Jou took a step away from them, "Be happy together... And Mai, don't forget about me..." Jou ran away, far from them. Far from their happiness. He felt apart from their happiness. Like he didn't belong. He looked up. He had somehow gotten back to his house. He wiped the tears from his eyes. And finally managed to crack a real smile. 'Be happy, Mai...'   
  
Mai watched Jou run away. She had never felt so horrible in her life. Joey was hurting, and it was all her fault. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look. It was Seto. He spoke to her, although his eyes were still on Jou, "He'll get over it..." He said it, but he didn't look so sure. Mai nodded and smiled, tears in her eyes. Jou, how can I forget you? You're a true friend to me. She turned to Seto and hugged him.   
  
~*~   
  
Seto was a bit taken aback by the hug, but he hugged her back. Joey, he had given them this chance. Jou had let them. Seto knew that the blond could've ruined their love had he wanted to. But instead, he had let them be together. Maybe he had been mistaken when he said that Joey was nothing but a weak puppy dog. The boy was strong. Maybe even stronger than the feeling of love itself.   
  
~*~   
  
Awww... *snif* And so the tale of love is over... Watch for the Epilogue though! It'll be out soon! Yep! I promise! ^^ Please review! Er, and sorry if this chapter is a bit bad, I don't know what happened to my nice writing abilities... if I ever had any... >.


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